Launch of CDMO Lifera to boost Saudi Arabia biomanufacturing

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) has launched Lifera, a commercial-scale CDMO to grow Saudi Arabia’s local biopharmaceutical industry.

PIF is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia with a goal of making targeted investments and forging partnerships to bolster Saudi Arabia’s supply chain, skills, resource development, pharmaceutical products, job opportunities, and allow for technology transfer from global private sector partners.

Financial details of its latest move remain undisclosed, but the organization has launched contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) Lifera in a bid to strengthen national resilience and aid Saudi Arabia’s pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities.

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“PIF is investing to enable a leading health sector in Saudi Arabia, supporting the development of and access to advanced medicines and treatments. Biologics represents one of the most critical and fastest-growing pharmaceutical segments, both in Saudi Arabia and globally,” Yazeed Al-Humied, deputy governor and head of MENA Investments at PIF, said.

The CDMO will focus on producing various pharmaceutical products, including vaccines, insulins, plasma therapeutics, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), cell and gene therapies (CGTs), as well as small molecules.

“Lifera intends to partner with leading companies in the sector to localize manufacturing, attract investment and enable the private sector to scale up, ensuring easier access for patients, whilst securing supply of life-saving medicines that can meet local, regional, and global demand,” Al-Humied said.

Lifera said it will work on producing, stockpiling, and supplying medicines by developing facilities through local and international partnerships. The CDMO will also have testing services for sterile pharmaceutical products.

Saudi Arabia is home to SaudiVax, which is expected to become the first developer and manufacturer of halal biotherapeutics and vaccines in the country. In November 2021,  turned to German Merck’s CDMO services and single-use technologies – MilliporeSigma – to help design a multi-modality manufacturing plant.

The plant will be located at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) campus, north of Jeddah. The facility will produce biologics and vaccines for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.